HD vs NKE Stock Comparison

The Home Depot, Inc. vs NIKE, Inc.

Data as of Sep 2, 2026· market close· Consumer Cyclical· Coverage 54/66 fields· Moderate confidence
AIQ VerdictFragileAIQ Comparison Conviction 5/10

NKE leads

NKE leads by 10 AIQ points, primarily on Value and Momentum, having only recently taken the lead back from HD.

Fragile: 4 of 6 evidence groups support NKE, and the lead recently changed hands.

Evidence agreement: 4 of 6Comparison trend: Reversed
HD

The Home Depot, Inc.

AIQ Score
41/100
AIQ Edge Score
3/10
NKE

NIKE, Inc.

Leads
AIQ Score
51/100
AIQ Edge Score
7/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors NKE over HD, 51 versus 41 as of Sep 2, 2026. NKE's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value and momentum. NKE also shows the weaker technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor NKE today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. NKE lead: Reversed — HD led by 3 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; NKE now leads by 10. NKE leads on all four AIQ factor dimensions. Value is itself one of those four, so a sweep is not explained by valuation alone — it deserves additional scrutiny for unmodeled catalysts, expectations or event risk.

Compare The Home Depot, Inc. and NIKE, Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

HD advantage
0
NKE advantage
  • Value30%36 vs 50
    NKE +14
  • Momentum25%19 vs 33
    NKE +14
  • Quality30%55 vs 60
    NKE +5
  • Risk Resilience15%58 vs 62
    NKE +4

4 of 6 evidence groups favor NKE. NKE’s edge is concentrated in value and momentum.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-09-01, compared against the prior scored session 2026-08-31.

HD0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No new signals fired.

NKE0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No new signals fired.

NKE's lead was unchanged in the latest snapshot.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — HD and NKE both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

NKE (NIKE, Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value and momentum.

HD (The Home Depot, Inc.): the counter-case, on fundamentals, technicals.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

NKE

NKE on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value at 30% each.

Growth

NKE

NKE on combined revenue and EPS growth.

Value

NKE

NKE on the peer-relative Value factor, by 14 points.

Momentum

NKE

NKE on the Momentum factor, by 14 points.

Lower downside

NKE

NKE on Risk Resilience, by 4 points.

Analyst upside

NKE

NKE on implied upside to the consensus price target.

AIQ vs Wall Street

Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.

MeasureHDNKENote
Implied upside to target+16%+34.4%NKE has more room
Target dispersion+28.3%+77.4%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusBuyHoldContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering1319Higher coverage generally improves confidence

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

4 of 6 covered evidence groups favor NKE. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreNKE41 vs 51
FundamentalsHDon balancerevenue growth 9.3% vs -2.7%; EPS growth 27.8% vs 105.7%; ROE 113.3% vs 22%; gross margin 33.1% vs 42.9%; operating margin 12.4% vs 8.2% — HD takes 3 of 5 decided legs, not all of them
ValuationNKEValue 36 vs 50
TechnicalsHDPrice vs 50-day -5.9% vs -8%; vs 200-day -4.9% vs -24.8%
Risk ResilienceNKERisk Resilience 58 vs 62
Analyst expectationsNKETarget upside 16% vs 34.4%

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of HD and NKE and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Fragile

The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.

  • The AIQ gap is moderate at 10 points.
  • The lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • Analyst targets on the leader are widely dispersed. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on NKE.

How the comparison changed

120 daily snapshots · Apr 20 Sep 1

NKE lead: Reversed — HD led by 3 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; NKE now leads by 10.

Apr 20HD leads above the line · NKE leads belowSep 1
Today
NKE +10
41 vs 51
7 sessions ago
NKE +8
41 vs 49
30 sessions ago
HD +3
55 vs 52
90 sessions ago
HD +6
56 vs 50

The lead changed hands 2 times in this window, most recently on Jul 8 when NKE moved ahead of HD.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

HDConflicted

1 bullish / 3 bearish, conflicted

  • Death Cross Active bearish, trend, long horizon (1.31%)
  • RSI Oversold - Potential Bounce bullish, momentum, short horizon
  • Downtrend Structure Active bearish, trend, long horizon
NKE

0 bullish / 4 bearish / 1 neutral

  • Death Cross Active bearish, trend, long horizon (24.25%)
  • Bollinger Band Squeeze neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • 52-Week Low Proximity bearish, risk, long horizon (2.3%)

HD is conflicted, so the timing case there is weaker than the score alone suggests.

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

HDNo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.12%, AIQ 0 points).

NKENo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +0.93%, AIQ 0 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1HD closes the Value gap — currently 14 points behind, the largest single contributor to NKE's edge.
  2. 2HD's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
  3. 3NKE starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals.
  4. 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

HD leads on balance
MetricHDNKE
Revenue growth (YoY)9.3%-2.7%
EPS growth (YoY)27.8%105.7%
Gross margin33.1%42.9%
Operating margin12.4%8.2%
Return on equity113.3%22%
Debt to equity4.180.74

Technicals

HD has the stronger structure
MetricHDNKE
RSI (14)23.539.8
ADX (14)10.820.8
Price vs 50-day-5.9%-8%
Price vs 200-day-4.9%-24.8%
Volatility (1M, annualized)23.8%33.2%

Risk

NKE is the more resilient
MetricHDNKE
Beta0.70.71
Sharpe ratio-0.89-1.83
Sortino ratio-1.53-2.36
Max drawdown-29.7%-50.7%
Current drawdown-22.6%-49.9%
Annualized volatility25.3%36.3%
Value at risk (95%)-2.4%-3.2%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, HD or NKE?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, NKE is the stronger of the two as of Sep 2, 2026, scoring 51 against HD's 41. The edge comes from value and momentum. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is HD or NKE the better buy right now?

NKE carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 2, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 4 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the lead has already changed hands inside the comparison window. Treat the lead as provisional.

Why does the AIQ Score favor NKE over HD?

The composite weights Quality at 30%, Value at 30%, Momentum at 25% and Risk Resilience at 15%. NKE leads Value by 14 points; NKE leads Momentum by 14 points; NKE leads Quality by 5 points. NKE leads on all four AIQ factor dimensions. Value is itself one of those four, so the sweep is not explained by HD simply being cheaper — it warrants extra scrutiny for unmodeled catalysts, forward expectations or event risk the factors do not capture.

Which has more analyst upside, HD or NKE?

Analyst price targets imply +16% upside for HD and +34.4% for NKE, so the Street currently favors NKE. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, HD or NKE?

NKE is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. NKE on the peer-relative Value factor, by 14 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, HD or NKE?

NKE on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, HD or NKE?

NKE on the Momentum factor, by 14 points. Momentum carries 25% of the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, HD or NKE?

NKE is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. NKE on Risk Resilience, by 4 points. The Risk Resilience factor weights 15% of the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is HD more profitable than NKE?

The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 33.1% vs 42.9%; operating margin 12.4% vs 8.2%; roe 113.3% vs 22%. HD leads on two measures and NKE on one measure, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.

Is NKE's lead over HD getting stronger or weaker?

NKE lead: Reversed — HD led by 3 AIQ points 30 sessions ago; NKE now leads by 10. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-04-20 and 2026-09-01. The lead has changed hands 2 times in that window, most recently on 2026-07-08, when NKE moved ahead of HD.

What would change the HD vs NKE verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: HD closes the Value gap — currently 14 points behind, the largest single contributor to NKE's edge; HD's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; NKE starts generating bearish momentum or trend signals; a regime shift changes factor weighting — the composite weights Quality and Value at 30% each, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

What do the current signals say about HD and NKE?

HD: 1 bullish / 3 bearish, conflicted. NKE: 0 bullish / 4 bearish / 1 neutral. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on HD is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On NKE it is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon).

Compare HD and NKE with others

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality (30%), Value (30%), Momentum (25%) and Risk (15%). Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.